Carrying apparatus



Jan, 24!, 1195 0 Filed Dec. 16, 1948 H. W. MOSELEY CARRYING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEYS.

Jam 195G H. w. MOSELEY 2,495,65

CARRYING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 16, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 4T ORJWEYS.

- ierent sizes and @ARRYING APPARATUS Barry W. Moseley, wt Republic Steel Corpo corporation of New J e rren, Ohio, assignor to tion, Cleveland, Ohio, a racy Application December 16, 1948, Serial No. 65,579 5 Claims. (Cl. 294-67) This invention relates generally to the articlehandling art and particularly to an addustable carrier for packages of different sizes.

Article carriers, particularly carriers for difierent sized packages, as constructed heretofore, have possessed certain disadvantages. With many types of packages it is important to be able to lift and carry them with their front vertical surfaces substantially flush with the free ends of the lifting fingers so that the packages may be stacked against other stacks without being rehandled. When such packages differ in size and weight the standard carriers cannot maintain the lifting fingers substantially horizontal with the different sized loads. It is important to maintain the carrying fingers substantially horizontal for if they are inclined the packages thereon are precariously supported. In conventional carriers it is impossible to maintain these fingers horizontal when carrying packages of difweights except by positioning the packages at different places on the fingers and such positioning is not desired for the reason just stated. As a result, the front faces of some packages carried by conventional carriers may overhang or have their front surfaces flush with the free ends of the fingers while other packages will have those faces located back of the front edges of the fingers and it will require additional operations to stack such packages against another stack after they are removed from the carrier.

The present invention avoids these disadvantages by providing an article carrier whose fingers may be maintained in a horizontal position when the carrier is loaded with articles of different sizes and weights as well as when it is empty, and which may be adjusted for packages of different sizes and weights so that the vertical front faces of each package may be substantially flush with the free ends of the fingers.

The present invention will be better understood by reference to the accompanying drawings in which one modification of the invention is disclosed and in which:

Fig. i is a perspective view of an rier in unloaded position;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the carrier suspended in transporting position while loaded with a package:

Fig. 3 is a side eievational view of the carrier of Figs. 1 and 2 showing the parts thereof in the positions they occupy when maximum and minimum size packages are being carried; and

Fig. i is an end elevational view of the apparatus of Fig. 3 taken from the right hand end of the latter.

The carrier oi the drawings comprises a new combination of cooperating parts. The guide block i carries depending, substantially vertical article carits upper end is curved to arms 2 from the lower ends of which articlesupporting fingers 3 extend substantially horizontally. The guide block I is fitted with slides 4 between which a horizontal lifting bar 5 is siidable. This bar 5 is disposed above and substantially parallel to lifting fingers 3, carries a stop pin 8 to engage block I and prevent disassembly of the block and arm and at its free end is pivotally connected to a link 1 which at its upper end is pivoted to a hook 8. The hook 8 is engageable with either of two links 9 and 9a extending upwardly from the guide block I. Link 1 has hand grips III on opposite sides thereof for easy manipulation thereof and at receive a lifting hook I2 attached to any conventional hoist.

A horizontal shaft I5 is Journalled in the free end of lifting bar 5 and is provided with a crank I6 by which it may be rotated. This shaft is provided with threads I I at its iournallecl end, and with other threads I8 at the end opposite said crank, which latter threads are opposite hand to threads I1. The threads Il may be of the same pitch or of a different pitch than threads I8. Threads I8 engage a nut I9 which is fixed in guide block I.

A back stop has a head 25 provided with an aperture through which bar 5 extends, and a threaded hole to engage with threads ll of shaft I5, and includes two vertical legs 26 which extend down into or substantially into the space between the parallel lifting fingers 3. These legs may be connected together near their lower ends, as at 21, if desired (see Fig. 1).

From the foregoing description it will be understood that when crank I6 is turned, shaft IE will be rotated and bar 5 will be moved endwise in guide block I by reason of the turning of the screw-threaded part I8 of shaft IS in the fixed nut I9. In this manner the free end of bar 5 may be moved toward or away from guide block I. I1 engage threads will be moved sil5 is rotated bar 5 will be moved toward arms 2 at a certain rate. If back stop 25 were fixed to bar 5 instead of being mounted on shaft I5,

same time and rate However, since back stop 25 has threaded engagement with threads I1 on shaft l5, back stop 25 is moved toward arms 2 additionally by these threads and 3, and that at such time the back stop 28 may also be in its fully extended position. with the parts so positioned, the minimum size package, whose horizontal width is indicated at A in Fig. 3, may be positioned on the carrier with its front surface substantially flush with the free ends of fingers l, and that when so positioned and the hook l is disconnected from links 8 or la, and a lifting force is applied to the upper end of link L the center of gravity of the carrier and the package thereon will be substantially in vertical alignment and below the center line of the pivotal connection of link 1 to bar 6. Because of this location of the center of gravity, the carrier may be lifted and moved with the package thereon while the fingers 3 are maintained in a substantially horizontal position; and the package may be deposited on the top of a stack of packages with its front vertical face substantially engaging the full lines in Figs. 2 and rear vertical face of a previously made stack of packages, without anv re-handling or additional handling of the package.

When the package has been deposited on the stack, the carrier may be lowered until its fingers 3 rest on a support, whereupon link I may be pivoted to engage hook 8 with link 9 or 911. When the carrier is again lifted in empty condition. the fingers will still be maintained substantially horizontal. If a larger package is to be carried, shaft I is rotated to move the back stop 25 toward arms 2 far enough for the front face of the package to be substantially flush with the free ends of fingers 3. In that adjustable position, and with link 1 in a vertical position, the center of gravity of the package and carrier will be substantially vertically beneath the pivotal connection of link I to bar 5, as previously described. The position of the parts, when a package of the maximum width, indicated by line B on Fig 3, is to be carried, is indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3 with the back stop 25 disposed close to arms 2.

It will be understood that the parts may be adjusted in this manner to accommodate packages of all sizes between this maximum and minimum size and in each instance the front face may be flush with the free ends of the fingers and the fingers will be horizontal.

Having thus described the present invention so that those skilled in the art will be able to practice it, I state that what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is defined in what is claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. An article carrier comprising a guide block, a bar having one end slidable in said block, a stop slidable on said bar and dependingtherefrom, fingers below and substantially parallel to said bar. and means having a. threaded shaft enga i said block, bar and stop for moving said her and stop toward or away from said block simultaneously but at diflerent rates, and liftengaging means adjacent the other end of said 2. An article carrier comprising a guide block, a bar having one end slidable endwise in said block, a stop slidable on said bar. carryingmeans below said bar and connected to said block, a shaft rotatably iournalled in said bar, said shaft having threads engaging said stop and other threads engaging a nut fixed in said guide, said threads being of opposite hands, and lift-engaging means near the other end of said bar.

3. An article carrier comprising a guide block, horizontal carrying fingers below and supported by said block, a horizontal lifting bar having one and slidable endwise in said block, a stop slidably surrounding said bar and extending therebelow, a shaft rotatably journalled in said bar and having opposite handed, differential pitch screwthreaded' engagement with said back stop and with a nut fixed in said guide, and a lifting link pivoted to the other end of said bar.

4. An article carrier comprisinga guide block, a horizontal lifting bar having one end slidable endwise in said block, horizontal carrying fingers below said bar and connected to said block, a vertical stop, a shaft rotatably Journalled in said bar and having differential different pitch, opposite handed screw-threaded engagement with said stop and with a nut fixed in said guide, and a link attached to the other end of said bar.

5. An article carrier comprising a guide block, arms dependingsubstantially vertically therefrom, carrying fingers extending horizontally from the lower ends of said arms, a horizontal lifting bar having one end slidable endwise in said guide block above said fingers, a back stop depending vertically from said bar in front of said arms, a shaft rotatably journalled in said bar and having opposite handed screw-threaded engagement with said back stop and with a nut fixed in said guide, the'pitch of the shaft threads engaging said nut being less than that of the shaft threads engaging said back stop, a link pivoted to the other end of said bar, a hook pivoted to the upper end of said link and a. bale attached to said guide for engagement with said hook.

HARRY W. MOSELEY.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Fontalne Feb. 2'1, 1945 Number 

